Getting You Back
by KittySpazway
Summary: JulieCharlie fic The ducks find out about julie and charlie's friendship. please read and review.
1. Default Chapter

Getting You Back  
A/N  
  
Hey guys I just wanted to tell you about the idea I have for a new Julie/Charlie fic. If you like the idea please post and tell me and I will get on it as soon as I can.  
  
My idea: Charlie and Julie knew each other before they either one started playing hockey. Charlie's mom and Julie's mom were best friends and so in turn so were Charlie and Julie. However, when Julie is about six her parents have to move to Main. Which pulls them apart. They keep in touch as much as possible, writing letters and calling. They both know that the other plays hockey. Five years later, when the ducks go to the goodwill games, Charlie and Julie meet up again and their friendship sparks up again and they are closer than ever.  
  
That is just a brief a description of what it is about. I have a lot planed for it, and wanted to put this up to see what you guys thought. So please review and tell me what you think, when I find out I will start working on it. I hope you like the idea and thanks for reading, Liz. 


	2. Where It All Began

Disclaimer- We don't own the Mighty Ducks.  
  
-Chapter 1-  
  
Julie and Charlie had been best friends their entire lives. They went everywhere and did everything with each other. Even though Julie was a year and a half younger that Charlie, she didn't act it. She could beat up a kid twice her size and still be ready for anything that came her way.  
  
Both of their mothers thought that they were really cute together. They both believed the way Charlie and Julie felt about one another would eventually lead to something more. Every single time Casey and Marie were together, conversation somehow wound up on how long it would take their children to realize this. And they had a lot of fun doing it.  
  
Charlie would do anything for Julie because he absolutely adored her. He wouldn't leave her side if she were sick or hurt until he knew for a fact that she was going to be okay. If she were crying or upset, he would hold her and tell her everything would be all right. He also had a tendency to spoil her rotten if the opportunity came to him.  
  
Julie in return worshiped Charlie, and hated it when they were apart. If she heard someone say something about Charlie that she didn't think was very nice she would let him or her know it. She would be there for him as much as he was there for her.  
  
They promised each other that they would always be together, that they would never be apart. But little did they know what was about to happen.  
  
"Julie, come here for a minute, baby. We need to talk to you." Marie Gaffney told her 6-year-old daughter. Julie came in to the living room where she saw her parents and big brother, Jake, sitting. She noticed that her mom looked rather put out and her dad looked kind of pleased about something  
  
"What is it, Mommy?" She asked trying, unsuccessfully, to get on the couch backwards. Her brother reached down and pulled his little sister up on to the couch. She turned around and glared at him, not liking the idea of being helped, but didn't say anything.  
  
"Jake, Julie, your father has been transferred to a city called Bangor, which is in Maine. I tried to convince him to request the chance to stay, but he wouldn't even consider it. So in about three weeks we are going to have to pack up and move to Bangor, Maine." Their mother told them, obviously very ticked off at their father. Julie sat there confused for a minute. Then when it dawned on her that she was going to have to leave her town, her big blue eyes filled up with tears.  
  
"We're moving?" She asked her mother tearfully.  
  
"Yes sweetie, we are." She said gently to her young daughter.  
  
"NO!! No we're not!!" Julie wailed, obviously upset. She was shaking slightly, shaking her head back and forth.  
  
"What do you mean 'no,' young lady? You know better to tell your parents no!" Her father screamed at her, which the in turn scared her and made her cry harder. She couldn't say anything; she could only cry. She jumped off the couch and ran to her room.  
  
"Steve!! You scared her." Marie screamed at her husband.  
  
"She knows better than to tell us no!" He yelled back.  
  
"She has a right to be upset Steve! This is her home, with her friends and family, and CHARLIE. He's her best friend! You know this can't be easy for her! She is upset because you are taking her away from that! All this trouble because you are too selfish to even think about your family and OUR feelings. She is SIX, Steve. SIX! Maybe you should keep your young daughter's feelings in mind too. You have a family; this affects ALL of us. Not just you." Marie screamed at him and went to console Julie.  
  
Steve was fuming; how DARE his family not appreciate his accomplishments. He turned to his oldest child and glared at him.  
  
"Aren't you going to say anything?" He said.  
  
"No. Mom is right; you don't seem to care about us. Couldn't you have at least have asked?" Jake asked coldly.  
  
"No, because I didn't want to. We are leaving and that is final. Now get out of here." He yelled and stormed off.  
  
Steve shook his head and started to walk to his room when there was a knock at the door. He walked to it, looked throw the hole, smiled, and opened the door.  
  
"Hello Casey, Charlie, what are you doing here?" He asked softly.  
  
"We heard Julie and your mom and dad yelling and wanted to make sure everything was okay." Casey said smiling at Jake. Little Charlie just stood there, staring up at Jake with his big blue eyes. His mind was solely on Julie.  
  
"No, not really. Come on in, I'll take you to mom and Julie." Jake said, not wanting to be the one that told them about the move. He led them inside and into Julie's room. When Julie saw Charlie she ran to him. He hugged her small body to him, not knowing what was going on. He looked over to her mom with a pleading look, hoping she would tell him what was happening.  
  
"Charlie, Casey, Steve is getting transferred and won't ask to get out of it because he doesn't give a rats ass what we think about it. Julie is really upset, which made him upset and he yelled at her. That scared her and she ran in here, where she has been crying ever since." She told them and then realized she hadn't told them where they were moving. "We are going to Bangor, Maine."  
  
Charlie just stared at her with disbelief written all over his face. However, when he felt Julie move a little in his arms he looked down at her and led her over to her bed. He then sat her down and kneeled in front of her.  
  
"Julie, it'll be okay. I know it doesn't seem that way right now, but it will. We can write to each other, and call each other, and maybe even visit. One day we will be back together again. The two best friends in the world reeking havoc and having a blast doing it." He said to her hoping to get a smile out of her, but didn't succeed.  
  
"How do you know Charlie?" She asked doubtfully. The little blonde girl was still sniffling.  
  
"Because we promised each other that we would always be together, and I know deep down that we WILL be back together like we promised." He told her.  
  
"But we are moving so far away." She said tears falling down her face again.  
  
"Julie, I will get you back. I promise you; someday we will be back together; best friends. I will get you back, and you will get me back." He told her, not sounding like the little seven-and-a-half-year-old boy he was.  
  
"Okay." She said softly, believing her best friend.  
  
"Good girl, now give me a smile and lets go terrorize your brother." He told her, grinning mischievously. She squealed and hugged them. The two children went off to chase Jake for a little while.  
  
"You son has to be the best thing ever. He got her to come down so quickly. I wonder how he does it..." Marie said in wonder.  
  
"I don't know. God Marie, you know this is tearing him up. It is hurting Julie that bad. He can't stand to see her upset." Casey said. "Oh! This must be killing you too. You are having to leave your home town."  
  
"Yeah, you are right. It is probably tearing him up. But he knows he has to be strong for Julie so he is holding it in for right now. I saw the look of terror on his face when I told you. It broke his heart. But he was brave for little Julie." Marie told her best friend. "He is right though. I have a feeling that we will get each other back."  
  
"Yeah, so do I."  
  
~~~*~~~  
  
Three weeks later, they were packed up and ready to go. Charlie found Julie standing by the car crying; he knew that this was hard on her because it was really hard on him.  
  
He walked over to her and gave her a big hug, telling her that everything would be okay. He reminded her that his mom and her mom had said that they could write each other and every once in a while they could call each other. She just clung to him not wanting to let go. He pulled her back, handed her something, and told her to open it. She did, and when she got to what was inside she saw a picture of them hugging each other and looking at the camera. The frame was silver and said, "Whether close or far away we will always be best friends."  
  
She started crying again and hugged him, telling him that she was going to miss him. He hugged her back and agreed with her. Her dad soon came out and told them to get in the car. It was time to go. He gave her one last hug and reminded her once again that she could call and write and that they would eventually be back together. He then helped her into the car. The young boy watched them leave and tried not to cry telling himself the same thing he had just told Julie.  
  
Over the next few years, that promise was what got them through. They called each other and wrote to each other, telling what they had been up to. It hadn't been long after Julie had left that Charlie had started playing hockey, and he told her ALL about it.  
  
Constantly.  
  
He told her about the bad coaches and the team not being able to play worth a flip...which cracked her up. About a year after he started playing, she started playing too. She told him that she played goalie and really enjoyed it, and that she love the coach.  
  
He informed her she could fly down and take THEIR goalie's place ANY time...  
  
She then asked him if his team had gotten a coach yet. He said no and told her that they were about to get a new one in a couple of days. He also told her that he really hoped the new could help them...they NEEDED it...bad...  
  
They kept talking like this for several years, telling each other how they were doing in hockey and school. She had been able to skip a year and so she was in the same grade he was. That had made him really happy, and he told her that he was proud of her.  
  
The next year when Charlie was 10, almost 11, and she was almost 10, he called her up with good news. He told her excitedly that they had finally found a coach that ACTUALLY worked with them. He told her that the new coach had gotten them pads and that they were working out in a REAL rink. He had informed her that they had actually tied their first game and WON another! The boy was so pumped she couldn't help but smile. She had giggled and told him she was glad.  
  
It turns out that the coach Charlie had been ranting and raving about was actually a decent guy under all his lawyer-evilness. Julie had listened to Charlie's drawn-out hate-speeches on his coaches for so many years she was glad he finally got a good one. Her ears could rest in peace...  
  
However, one day things changed once again. Another year had passed for the two children.  
  
Charlie burst through the door and eagerly flung his bedroom door open, ignoring the threats of his new step dad, Scott, regarding the fact that if he slammed ONE MORE DOOR, he was a dead child.  
  
That was another thing Charlie had ranted about. The fact that his mom had a momentary lapse of sanity and married some jerk instead of his coach...EVEN THOUGH his mom and his coach were PERFECT for each other...maybe he could cause a problem and make them get divorced...THEN his mom and coach would have a chance to realize they really DO love each other...yes...that's a good idea...  
  
But that is for ANOTHER day...  
  
Back on track...YES! Phone call!  
  
He grabbed the phone off its hook and quickly dialed Julie's number up. He held the phone to his ear and eagerly awaited her answer...  
  
'Hello?' he heard the voice of a girl say from the other end of the line.  
  
"JULIE!" he nearly yelled in excitement as he heard her voice.  
  
'Hello to you too, Charlie. It's been what, 24 hours since we last spoke?' she said jokingly. She was grinning broadly and Charlie could hear it in her voice.  
  
"I have the most AWESOME news!" he said into the phone, enthusiasm dripping off of his voice.  
  
'Really? What?' she asked, now fully in the conversation. She cherished their time on the phone.  
  
"I just found out my hockey team is going on this HUGE tournament thing! It's gonna be AWESOME! Can you believe it? *WE* have actually been asked to play in a BIG competition!" he said, nearly collapsing form excitement.  
  
Julie was in shock. Once she found her voice, she squealed back, 'OH MY GOSH! Congratulations Charlie!' she said excitedly.  
  
Before Charlie could start talking again, she remembered something.  
  
'Oh, by the way.' She cut in. Charlie stopped whatever he was about to say in order to listen. 'Speaking of competitions...I made it into one myself...' 


	3. Reunited

Thank you all for reviewing, I am so happy that you enjoyed it. I hope you enjoy this chapter as much as you did the last one. This story is so fun to right, so keep up the reviews and I will try my best to keep posting.  
  
---Note to my reviewers---  
  
death to all rubix cubes: Hey, I am really glad you enjoyed the chapter. This one should be better.  
  
DuckHockey00214496: Thanks, I am glad you liked it. And different is what I wanted.  
  
RaspSun: Lol, I am glad you liked it. Julie and Charlie are so cute together.  
  
Banksiesbabe99: Thank you. Your opinion matters a lot to me and I am so happy that you like it and the way that I wrote it. Hope you like this chapter, talk to you soon.  
  
Jenny: Thanks for reviewing; here is the next post.  
  
Okay now, that is it. I will start the chapter. Well, actually I want to say one more thanks to someone. Chelsea, thank you so much for helping me with my idea. You help me out a lot by doing that. Thanks girl. Okay, now I will start the chapter.  
  
-Chapter 2-  
  
***Two Weeks Later***  
  
Charlie and the rest of the Ducks skated on to the ice; they had just been informed that there would be five other players that were from all over the place. He was pretty excited about meeting the new players, and when he skated onto the ice he started looking around to try and find them. Then he heard Coach say something.  
  
"So, tell me about my new players." He heard Bombay say, and then turned to see the new players.  
  
As the obnoxious guy started to talk, Charlie watched one of the players. She looks familiar, but I don't know why. He thought to himself. He kept watching her and noticed something, she is even wearing a Bangor, Main Jersey and goalie pads. He once again said to himself. Nah, it couldn't be. He told himself. Then he realized that the obnoxious guy was telling about the girl.  
  
"That is Julie 'The Cat' Gaffney. She won the state championship for her team last year." He said and Charlie had to let the information sink in before he realized that it really was her.  
  
"Jul..." He started to say but realized he shouldn't. So he grinned evilly and put his helmet on. He then started skating towards her. He started his triple deke, and just when he was about to shoot it in, he looked at her.  
  
"Hey Julie." he said, which distracted her. He shot the puck in, "Nice seeing ya again girl."  
  
"Charlie!!!" She squealed and he laughed skating back towards the rest of the team. He laughed but didn't say anything else. She went back to concentrating on blocking the pucks. Charlie kept watching her and before he knew it he was flat on his back. He looked up to see a big guy skating around the rink laughing. He threw a stick to Julie and pushed her back.  
  
"Why that ba..." he started but shut up before anyone could hear him. Julie looked kind of scared of Portman and when she saw Charlie looking at her she gave him a weak grin. He returned it with an encouraging one. He knew that Julie would act tough around people she didn't know, and that he was the only one that she would show her true feelings about things. When he smiled at her, she noticeably relaxed. After that, they scrimmaged. Fulton knocked the puck out of the ice and it hit Mr. Tibbles on the head knocking him out.  
  
When he was waking up, the team was all around him acting like they were worried. Ms. McKay was trying to wake him up and Julie was holding an ice pack on his head. Charlie was behind Julie, leaning on her every once in a while. They still hadn't gotten to greet each other but he didn't really care, and she didn't seem to right then either. Soon Mr. Tibbles woke up and they started introducing everyone. Ms. McKay told them that if they wanted to play, then they had to come to class. None of them thought that that was very fair since it was summer, but they all wanted to play so they didn't complain much. Afterwards, they were released and told that they could do what they want for a while.  
  
Charlie quickly started looking for Julie; he wanted to take her to see his mom. He knew that both of them would like that. He finally found her standing by herself, looking kind of lost. He walked over to her and grinned because she hadn't seen him yet.  
  
"Hey Julie." He said and laughed when she jumped. When she realized it was him, she squealed and ran to him. He picked her up then and twirled her around. He then put her down and kissed her on the forehead. "God, it is good to see you again, girl."  
  
"It's good to see you to Charlie." Julie said softly and grinned.  
  
"Hey, listen. Let's go change, and afterwards go see my mom? She would like to see you, I'm sure." Charlie asked her.  
  
"Yeah!!! That sounds great." She said smiling.  
  
"Great!!! Then lets go." He said and she smiled and they walked off, to get ready. When they were ready, Charlie went to find Bombay to tell him their plans and to ask him something. When they found him, they walked over to him.  
  
"Hey Coach?" the young boy asked.  
  
"Yeah, Charlie?" He answered back smiling at Charlie.  
  
"Umm, you remember that girl that I always talk about?" Charlie asked him.  
  
"Yeah, I do. Why?" Bombay said.  
  
"Well, that is Julie." Charlie said smiling.  
  
Bombay laughed, "It is?"  
  
"Yeah." Charlie said grinning. "And I was wondering since we haven't seen each other in so long...I was wondering if tomorrow we could sit together on the plane." He asked.  
  
"Sure, that can be arranged." He said and Charlie grinned.  
  
"Thanks Coach." Charlie said, "Oh, and if its okay with you, I'd like to take her to see my mom. She hasn't seen her in a while, and I know she would like to see her and visit with her. She will just get to see her once and that is today. Is that okay?"  
  
"Yeah, in fact, if it is okay with your mom, she can stay there tonight. She can then come with you to the airport tomorrow." Bombay said and Charlie's eyes got huge.  
  
"Really? But will that be okay with Mr. Tibbles and Ms. McKay?" He asked him.  
  
"I will tell them that Julie is a old friend of yours and that her mom is an old friend of your mom. Once I tell them that your mom will take good care of her, she will be fine, and that I told you she could go, they probably won't mind." Bombay said.  
  
"Thanks Coach." Charlie said, "That is awesome."  
  
"You're welcome, Charlie. Now go and have some fun." Bombay said and Charlie ran off to go and find Julie again. He soon found her again and walked up to her.  
  
"Hey Jules, ready to go?" He asked.  
  
"Yeah. Is your mom coming to get us or what?" She asked.  
  
"No, we don't live far from here so we are just going to walk. If that is okay." He told her and she nodded in affirmation. They left and started heading towards Charlie's apartment. They walked in silence until they got there. When Julie saw where they were, she started tearing up. He still lived in the same apartments.  
  
"Jules? You okay?" Charlie asked going back to her when he realized that she had stopped.  
  
"Yeah, I just didn't realize you were still here." She said softly.  
  
"Yep, sure are." He said then realized something, "Julie, you would have know if we had moved because my address and phone number would have changed." Then immediately felt bad, because of the look that went across her face.  
  
"I know that Charlie, I guess that what I meant...what I meant is that I didn't think I would be coming back here again...and now that I am, all these memories are going through my head." She explained.  
  
"That makes sense, Jules." He told her wrapping an arm around her and leading her on into the building. They got to his apartment and opened the door. He walked around, trying to find his mom, but ran into his step dad.  
  
"Hey, Scott, do you know where mom is? I have someone here that she might be interested in seeing." He asked nicely to the man.  
  
"No, Charlie. I don't know where she is." Scott snapped at his stepson and Julie back up a little bit, kind of scared.  
  
"Okay, well it can wait until she gets back." Charlie said and turned to Julie, "Come on Jules, you can put your stuff in my room."  
  
"WAIT!! Who said she could stay? And for that matter who is she and why did you bring her here?" Scott yelled at Charlie.  
  
Before he answered he looked at Julie who looked kind of scared; he then turned to Scott and glared, "Scott, don't yell! You're scaring her!!" Charlie said. "She is Julie Gaffney. She's the girl that I am always talking to on the phone or writing to."  
  
"Well she can't stay here." Scott said, crossing his arms and glaring.  
  
"Well, SCOTT, the reason I brought her here is because she is one of the new players that is joining the Ducks for the Junior Goodwill Games and they are all staying in hotel rooms. By themselves, might I add. When I found that out I thought that she could come and stay with us tonight and ride with us to the airport. She wouldn't be all by herself in a strange place, she'd be here where she would be happy. And her and mom can talk." Charlie said trying to keep his temper in check.  
  
"Well I guess, but we we'll have to see what your mom says when she gets here." Scott said, obviously not happy about the idea. Charlie sighed. He then turned around to Julie...or where Julie had been. "Julie?" Charlie said, "Were did you go, girl?"  
  
"I'm right here, butt head." She said and laughed when he jumped two feet. He turned around to see where she was and saw that she was in his room.  
  
"I see you remember where my room is." He said.  
  
"Charlie, I was six, not one, when we moved. I didn't really think you would have changed rooms...Although your room has changed quite a bit. But I like it. It's awesome; kind of looks like my room. Only mine has newspapers about my team, and I have goalie equipment around." Julie said talking more than was usual for her.  
  
Charlie laughed. "Wow, I don't think I have ever heard you say so much in one sitting before."  
  
"Shut up." Julie said pushing him.  
  
"Yes ma'am." He said sarcastically and pushed her on the bed and started tickling her. She started squealing and laughing. She tried to role out from under him but he was too big and she was pinned. "See Jules, I told you I would get back."  
  
Ok well that is it for now, I hoped you liked it and please review if you can. They really keep me going. Once again to everyone that has reviewed so far, THANK YOU!!! If I missed anyone on the responses, I'm sorry, and thank you so much. Please review again if you can, I didn't miss you on purpose. Will that is all for now, talk to you soon, and I hope you enjoyed the chapter. The next one should be up soon. 


	4. The Ducks find out

The Games and a talk with Coach  
. Disclaimer: I don't own the Mighty Ducks. Although I wouldn't mind owning Charlie, or Portman. Or for that matter anyone of them, except Averman; he is annoying.  
  
A/N1: Hey, here is the next Chapter. I hope you enjoy it. Please Review, if you can. And for all of you that are able to review: Thank you. Oh, and I am hoping that this chapter will be longer that the last one. I didn't realize until I re-read it and the length disturbed me so I told myself that I would have this one longer.  
  
A/N2: By the way I am not taking all the credit for this chapter or this story. It was my idea and I am the main one writing it but C-chan96 has helped out a lot by being able to write out ideas and checking my work. She has probably written about half of this chapter that you are about to read. And I want to thank her very much for it. THANKS CHELS I APRECIATE IT!!!!!! *Hugs Chels*  
  
Responses to Reviews:  
  
Jennygrrl: Thanks, I am glad you liked it. Enjoy this one.  
  
Banks99: Yeah, I know there are, aren't they? Don't worry I have it planned for a while and it isn't going to end for a while. So in other words, there is a lot more to come. The Ducks' reaction is in this chapter towards the end, so that should be fun. Hope you enjoy.  
  
Death To All Rubix Cubes: *giggles * I have to agree that would be nice wouldn't it. I am glad you enjoyed it. I hope you enjoy this chapter, please review if you can. Talk to you soon.  
  
RaspberrieSundae: I think that you thinking it is being cute is great. That was what I was going for. I'm glad that you liked the part where he distracted her; that part was really fun. I hope you like this next chapter. Please review if you can. Talk to you soon.  
  
Kshyne99: I know! Isn't it awesome? This chapter was very fun to write and I am glad you enjoyed it. I hope you like this chapter. Talk to you soon.  
  
Jenny: I am glad you like it and Charlie/Julie. Here is the next part; I hope you like it, and if you can please review. Talk to you soon.  
  
Banksiesbabe99: LOL, I am glad that you liked this chapter along with the whole story, and also the part where he fakes her out. I had a lot of fun on that part. Thanks for reviewing, and I hope you enjoy this chapter. Talk to you soon.  
  
Alright now to the Chapter, I hope you like and please review if you can. Thanks!! Talk to you soon.  
  
-Chapter 3-  
  
The next day, after waking up early and getting ready, Cassie took Julie and Charlie to the airport, staying with them until it was time for them to board the plane. They hugged her and told her goodbye before turning to board the plane. When they sat down in their seats, which Bombay had promised would be together, Charlie looked over at Julie and noticed that she looked kind of pale.  
  
"Jules, you okay?" He asked her softly.  
  
She looked over at him with a confused look on her face, "What?"  
  
"Are you okay? You look kind of pale." He told her.  
  
"Oh yeah, I'm okay I guess." She said and then looked back at him, "I'm just afraid of flying."  
  
"You are?" He asked her.  
  
"Yeah, it's not the height I'm afraid of; it's the pressure in the plane." She said and then thought about what she said, "Okay, I'm not afraid of flying. It's just the air pressure hurts my ears."  
  
"Oh, okay." He said. "Have you tried chewing something? Like gum or peanuts or something?"  
  
"Yeah, it helps some...but not much. It helps for a little bit but not for long, and I can't chew for four hours...my jaw gets tired." She said, laughing a little bit.  
  
"Well that sucks." He said, "Is there something I can do to help?"  
  
"No, I'll be okay." She said, even though he could tell she was already not feeling very good.  
  
"Okay, but if you change your mind tell me, alright?" he asked her.  
  
"Well, we could always talk. I mean this is a four hour flight and talking would help me not think about how I feel." She said.  
  
"Okay, we can talk." He told her and then realized that they were moving and were about to take off.  
  
He looked over at Julie to see how she was doing and saw that she was squeezing her eyes shut and leaning her head back. He reached over and grabbed her hand with his and interlaced his fingers with hers. She opened her eyes and looked at him for a minute and he smiled at her, which won him a grin back. She then laid her head back waiting for the plane to level out. After it did finally level out and Julie's head stopped spinning, Julie let out a sigh and smiled brightly at Charlie. The boy grinned back, giving her hand a conforting pat before looking out the window. He was happy because he got window seat. There had been much dispute over it, but Charlie said she could have it on the way back. Julie willingly agreed, just happy to be able to see him again.  
  
When the 'seatbelts' light flashed off, the two children heard a seatbelt click behind them. A head of curly read locks peeked over the back of their seat.  
  
"Hello. Not feeling well, New Girl?" Averman asked, grinning jokingly at the blonde girl.  
  
Julie's mouth twitched ever-so-slightly as she raised her eyebrows with frustration. She never even looked back, refusing to acknowledge the boy's presence. She could remember Charlie saying something about this guy...He was the jokester. She figured if she ignored him, he would go away...  
  
Charlie turned back and gave Averman a warning look, saying 'not right now.' Charlie didn't want Julie getting in a bad mood. He knew she had little tolerance for annoyance, and Averman was just one of those...well, annoying people.  
  
"Not acting much like a 'Cat,' now are ya? Meeooww! Phht! Phht!" Averman said with a childish grin, batting his hand at the top of her head. He was making annoying, exaggerated cat sounds and hissing.  
  
Julie let out a sigh and massaged her temples. Her head hurt and she didn't feel like retaliating. Glancing over at Charlie, she could see him telling Averman to shove it. Or, at least that's what Julie liked to imagine he was saying. She figured it was probably more along the lines of 'cut it out and bother whatever poor, unsuspecting soul got stuck next to you.' Close enough. Charlie was too nice to yell at anybody...  
  
After a few second of silence, Charlie turned to her with a bright smile, as if nothing had ever happened.  
  
"Well, Julie Anne Gaffney. I think I owe you a long, drawn-out conversation." Charlie said with a charming smile before the two friends launched into a lengthy talk, lasting the rest of the plane ride.  
  
They talked about school and how she had skipped a grade. They talked about hockey and how he had originally started playing hockey because his friends from school were on the team. She told him that friends was one of the reasons she had started, but the main reason she started was the fact that since they had moved there, her dad had started getting mean and rough with her. Hockey gave her a reason to get out of the house and away from him.  
  
By the time she had finished telling him about her dad, they were about to land and her ears had started to pop and hurt again. Charlie saw her wincing, and he once again reached over and grabbed her hand, giving her something to hold and squeeze when she needed to. Finally, the plane landed and stopped, so they were able to get off.  
  
Once they all got off the plane and into the airport, Bombay stopped them and told them to go and get their bags and circle up again afterwards. They nodded and started off to the luggage pickup where Charlie, being the little gentleman that he was, offered to carry Julie's bags for her. She smiled her acknowledgement before walking up to the pick up area where Charlie got his bags off. After she told him which ones were hers, he got hers also.  
  
When they had all gathered back around, Bombay looked at them and smiled.  
  
"Alright guys, lets go get settled in our dorms and have a good night sleep. After all, we do have a big day tomorrow: practicing in the morning and then the game tomorrow night." He told them and they all cheered.  
  
He then led them to the bus and they road to there dorm buildings. When they arrived at the dorms, Bombay told them who they would be rooming with and what room they would be in. Julie smiled; he said that she and Connie would be together, despite the fact that everyone already knew that. She didn't know this Connie girl, but she knew Charlie had told her how nice she was. The last names he called out were Guy and Charlie, which made Julie laugh again. Charlie was her best friend and Charlie had told her that Guy was Connie's boyfriend. Julie smiled fondly as she thought of Charlie. Her best friend. Her confidant. He knew more about her than she knew about herself. The one friend she had known since diapers, and managed to keep in contact with. She could hardly believe it was him. Never in a million years did she think she would ever see him again.  
  
Not a whole lot had changed about him since she had seen him. Well, relatively speaking. His blonde hair had darkened to a light brown, but his eyes were the same. He was still taller than her, but Julie didn't mind. He was still Charlie. Her Charlie.  
  
She was broken out of her thoughts when Charlie came up to her and wrapped his arm around her, "Want me to help you take your bags to your room, Julie?"  
  
"AHH!!! You scared me, Charlie." She said glaring at him, "Yeah, sure. What room are you and Guy in.?"  
  
Charlie laughed, "Just as I thought...You weren't listening, were you?"  
  
"No, not really...but that doesn't answer my question." She said, smiling a little bit.  
  
"We're about three rooms down the hall from you." He said and she grinned real big.  
  
"Cool! Well lets go. I want to get to know Connie better, and I need to call my mom and tell her I'm here, and I'm safe." She said and he laughed. "What?"  
  
"Oh, nothing. I was just thinking that Connie talks more in a day then I think you have in about a year." He said and she hit his arm playfully which made him laugh more.  
  
"Bite me, Charlie." She said and pretending like she was ignoring him.  
  
He laughed, but didn't say anything back to her. Heaving the bags onto his shoulders, he led her on to her room. When they got there, he opened the door and let her in, following behind her before setting her luggage down. He looked around and saw that it was a nice room, and that Connie wasn't there yet. He looked back at her and smiled at her, already laying on one of the beds.  
  
"Well, here you are. Do you want me to wait until Connie gets here, or will you be okay?" He asked her.  
  
"Stay." She said smiling, "Unless you need to get to your room."  
  
"Nah, Coach told me I could stay with you for a little bit." He said grinning at her devilishly.  
  
When she saw the look on his face, she immediately sat up and started backing away from him. She forgot she was on the bed and fell off it on the other side. He took this as his chance and pounced on her and started tickling her relentlessly. She started screaming and trying to pull away from him.  
  
"Charlie stop, ahh stop." She said through laughter, but he kept tickling her and laughing.  
  
They were having so much fun that they didn't hear Connie come in and put her things down. She cocked her head to the side and walked over to her roommate and captain.  
  
"Charlie? What the heck are you doing to Julie?" She asked softly and Charlie jumped about three feet in the air and off of Julie.  
  
Julie blushed about five shades of red and hide her face in the mattresses of the bed. Charlie smiled innocently at Connie and smiled.  
  
"What are you talking about Connie? Julie and I were just playing one of our favorite games. Seeing who make the other laugh the hardest. She usually wins since I am usually the one tickling her." He said to a very confused Connie.  
  
"But...how is that one of your favorite games if you have just known each other about three days?" She asked and Charlie laughed.  
  
"Oh yeah, you don't know. I forgot." He said, smacking himself on the forehead before looking back at Connie. "You remember me talking about that girl that I grew up with that moved to Maine about five years ago?"  
  
"Yeah, you always talked about her the most right after phoning her. But what does that have to do with you and Ju...... OHH!" Cone said as it dawned on her, she turned to Julie who was still hiding, "You're that girl, aren't you?"  
  
"Yes." Came the muffled reply.  
  
"Awesome!!" Connie squealed and Charlie laughed.  
  
"Well, I think I'll leave you two to bond. Have fun and don't scare her much, okay Connie?" He said laughing and her _expression.  
  
"Yeah, I'll try my best." Connie said, and he smiled.  
  
He then walked over to Julie and poked her in the side, making her squeal. He whispered something to her and then stood up. Julie grinned and watched him leave, but just as he was going out of the room she remembered something and stood up.  
  
"Wait Charlie, don't go yet!!" She called and he quickly turned back around and walked back in the room.  
  
"What is it, Julie?" He asked.  
  
"Can you wait until I call my mom and dad?" She asked, "Please."  
  
"Sure, but don't you want to talk to them by yourself?" He asked her walking closer to her.  
  
"Not if my dad wants to talk to me." She said and he nodded in understand- meant.  
  
Connie grinned and decided to go see the rest of the team. "Hey guys, I'm going to go say night to the rest of the team and leave you two alone to call Julie's mom."  
  
"Okay Cons, thanks." Charlie said to her, smirking when she disappeared behind the door, "What she really meant was that she was going to say goodnight to Guy."  
  
Julie cracked up and swatted him on the arm, "You're so mean."  
  
He laughed, "Yeah, yeah I am...but I'm telling the truth."  
  
She laughed and went to the phone and picked it up and dialed. A few seconds later, her mom picked up and answered the phone. Julie smiled at Charlie, who was sitting next to her, knowing he was going to be listening.  
  
"Hey Momma...I miss you too and I'm sorry that I didn't call sooner, but you will never guess who I met up with at practice last night...How did you know?...Oh, well that's cool...Yeah, it was really great... He was? Oh god, I'm sorry Momma... He isn't there, is he?...Oh good...I'll try to call you tomorrow, but I really don't think I will because I have practice in the morning; then we have something that we have to be at, and then tomorrow night we play our first game. But the next day I have off, except for practice, so I'll call you after practice... Okay...I love you and miss you too, Momma...Tell Jessie that I love and miss him too...Okay, talk to you when I can...bye." Julie hung up the phone and looked at Charlie who was looking at her.  
  
"Well, that seemed to have gone well." He said.  
  
"Yeah, it did." She said. "Except my dad is made at me for not calling sooner...but I didn't get a chance, and coach called and told them I would be with you guys. I just don't get him anymore."  
  
"Yeah, from what you have told me about how he has changed I don't get him either." Charlie said, "But it didn't sound like you had to talk to him."  
  
"I didn't; he was at work. My mom just told me that he was mad, but not to worry about it. She wouldn't let him do anything because she knew that I was going to be busy." Julie said.  
  
"Well, that's good." He said and smiled at her.  
  
"Yeah." She said, smiling back.  
  
They didn't say anything for a few minutes, just sitting in silence. Charlie looked over at Julie after a minute and smiled. She was having problems staying awake. He got up, pulling her up with him, and gave her a hug.  
  
"Why don't I go and let you get ready for bed. I'll tell Connie when I get to the room that she can come back, and then you two can talk a little and get to know each other." He told her.  
  
She whimpered cause she didn't want him to leave, but after a minute she nodded against his chest and he kissed the top of her head.  
  
"Okay then. I need to go, so I'll see you tomorrow, okay?" He said, pulling away, and she nodded again.  
  
"Bye Shortcake." He said backing away.  
  
She laughed; she hadn't been called that in a long time. Probably because Charlie was the only one that was allowed to call her that. If anyone else called her that, they got their ass kicked.  
  
"Bye Chip." She said, and returned the smile.  
  
He laughed at her return of the use of his nickname, and then turned around to walk out of the room, down the hall, and to his room. He knocked on the door to let Connie and Guy know that he was coming in and opened the door.  
  
He saw that Connie was stretched out on one of the beds and Guy sitting on the floor next to her; they were in a deep conversation about something. However, when he came in, they both looked up from their conversation and greeted him.  
  
He told Connie that Julie was getting ready for bed and that she wanted to talk. Connie squealed and jumped off the bed. She bent down and gave Guy a quick kiss, and then turned to Charlie and hugged him. She then left the room and skipped to her and Julie's room.  
  
When she came to the door, she stopped and had to calm herself because she remembered that Julie seemed to be pretty shy and quiet. When she opened the door and walked in, she saw Julie sitting on her bed reading something. Connie didn't know what to do because she didn't want to scare her, so she just shut the door and walked over to her own bed. Julie looked up when she heard someone in there and smiled at Connie.  
  
"Hi." Connie said returning the smile.  
  
"Hi." Julie said quietly.  
  
Connie walked over and sat down on the other bed, across from Julie . At first they carried out the average small talk. Nothing too deep; just the normal 'Hey how are you? Good? Me too.' But as it began getting later and they began to feel more comfortable with each other, they began to loosen up.  
  
"So is Guy your boyfriend?" Julie asked before she could stop herself, instantly blushing and covering her face. She had forgotten this wasn't Charlie. She couldn't just ask anything. "I'm sorry, that just came out." Julie apologized, peeking through the fingers of her hand.  
  
Connie laughed. "It's not a problem. Yeah, I guess Guy's my boyfriend."  
  
Julie smiled and removed her hands from her face. "How long have you known each other?"  
  
Julie asked, figuring from the reaction that it was safe grounds. You could never really tell.  
  
"A really long time. Kindergarten, probably. He's really sweet." Connie said, leaning against the headboard of her bed and pulling a pillow on to her lap.  
  
"He seems sweet. Everyone seems to be nice; or at least have POTENTIAL to be nice." Julie said.  
  
Connie nodded. "So...how long have you and Charlie known each other?" Connie asked, blinking her brown eyes with curiosity.  
  
Julie smiled and let out a half-laugh. "Since...well, forever. I think we knew each other before we were even born...Our moms were really close friends, so Charlie and I had always done everything together. He's definitely what I would categorize as my best friend, and I missed him." Julie said with a fond smile.  
  
Connie smiled impishly and leaned forward, hugging her pillow. "Do you like him?"  
  
Julie's head bolted up, her cheeks heating up. "Wha-what?" she asked, startled. She looked like a deer in headlights.  
  
"You heard me. I asked if you like him. You know, LIKE like him." Connie said, waving her hands for emphasis.  
  
"N-no. No, it's not like that." Julie stuttered, positive that her face was probably scarlet by that point. "He's just my friend."  
  
Connie nodded with her eyebrows raising in disbelief. "Suuure. Uh-huh." Connie said teasingly. Julie threw her pillow at Connie's face. "I do not like him!" she protested. "I don't! We're just friends!"  
  
Connie giggled and blocked the pillow with her own. "I think you're protesting WAY too much! DENIAL!" Connie said through laughs as Julie took the fallen pillow and began whacking Connie with it.  
  
"I'm not in denial!" Julie said, though she was hiding a smile at that point.  
  
Connie grinned at they launched into a full-fledged pillow fight, all the while exchanging their position on whether or not Julie was secretly in love with Charlie Conway.  
  
Later, long after Connie had fallen asleep, Julie lay under the covers, tucked in her bed.  
  
What Connie had said had been weighing on Julie's mind, whether or not she would admit it. She was convincing herself that she COULDN'T like Charlie. It would just be...She just couldn't! Her hand traced along the rim of her suitcase; she then dug her hand in and pulled out a small framed photo.  
  
She held the framed picture in front of her face and traced around the edges. It was still the same silver color as it had always been, and she constantly ran her fingers long the inscription.  
  
'Whether close of far away, we will always be best friends.'  
  
It still had the same picture of her and Charlie before she moved to Maine.  
  
She ran her thumb across the picture, straining to see their childish faces smiling into the camera. With a content smile, she placed the framed picture back into her suitcase and snuggled in her covers, falling to sleep.  
  
The next morning Julie and Connie woke up to the guys singing loudly in the entertainment room. Julie cracked up laughing as soon as she realized who one of the main singers was. "What are you laughing at?" Connie said with her eyebrow cocked.  
  
"Charlie is singing." Julie told her trying to calm down.  
  
Connie laughed and listened, "Oh my gosh, you're right."  
  
Julie laughed, and then got out of bed, looking at Connie.  
  
"I guess we ought to get up out of bed and get dressed." She said.  
  
"Yeah, we should." Connie agreed.  
  
They got up and started getting ready for the day. A few minutes later, they were dressed and ready to go. They got their bags and walked out to the activity room where the guys were still singing loudly. When they saw Connie and Julie walk in, they greeted them loudly. Connie just rolled her eyes, and Julie looked like she was about to run away. Connie looked at her and saw she was about to freak out and turned back to the guys.  
  
"Not so loud guys, you scared her." Connie said and patted Julie on the shoulder.  
  
Averman laughed, "She is a true cat, isn't she? Quick to react to things but easily scared."  
  
Charlie, who had been standing behind Averman when he said that, hit him upside the head with his hand.  
  
"What was that for, Spaz?" Averman asked, rubbing his head.  
  
"'Cause you are being mean." Charlie told him.  
  
"No I wasn't! I was just stating a fact." Averman replied back.  
  
"You're right, you were stating some facts about cats, but you missed one important fact. When a cat is challenged, it can be very tough. " Charlie said, "And what I've heard about her, she is the exact same way."  
  
Averman tried to say something but nothing came out. Charlie grinned and looked over at Julie and gave her a wink. She grinned real big back at him.  
  
Just then, Bombay walked in. They turned to him and waited to see what he was going to say. "You guys ready to practice?" he asked.  
  
"YEAH!!!" They all cheered.  
  
"All right then, lets go." He said and led them out of the dorms and on to the bus.  
  
Julie and Connie sat together because Charlie was sitting with Adam, and Connie didn't want to leave Julie to sit with someone she didn't know.  
  
"I told you that you liked him." Connie said.  
  
"What?" Julie asked.  
  
Connie laughed, "I think he likes you too."  
  
"How can you tell?" Julie asked her.  
  
"I saw the way he winked at you awhile ago, and how you smiled back at him." Connie replied.  
  
"But we're just friends." Julie insisted.  
  
"Friends don't wink at each other that way, Julie." Connie told her.  
  
"How do you know?" Julie asked her.  
  
"Guy winks at me the same way Charlie winked at you all the time." Connie said.  
  
"Oh.." Julie said, "...but we're not like that."  
  
"God, you're stubborn." Connie laughed, "But that's okay; you'll both come to realize it soon."  
  
Julie didn't have a chance to reply because they had arrived at the rink, and they had to get out of the bus. When Julie got up out of the seat and turned her back to Connie, the latter smirked.  
  
They all got their bags and went to the locker room and changed. When they finished changing, they started heading to the ice. Julie was lagging behind cause she had different pads than she was used to, and she was thinking about what Connie had said to her.  
  
She was so caught up in her thoughts that she hadn't realized that she was on the edge of the ice. She took her first step onto the ice and her foot slipped out from her, and she was going down on her back before she knew what was happening.  
  
"Julie!" Charlie yelled and skated towards her as well as Connie.  
  
She was trying to sit up when they got there, and Charlie bent down and helped her.  
  
"Are you okay, shortcake?" He asked her.  
  
"Yeah, I think so. I was thinking about some things and didn't realize I was at the ice." She said and then started looking around for her helmet and stick. "Where's my helmet and stick?"  
  
"Here they are, Julie." Connie said picking them up and handing them to her, "You sure that you're okay?"  
  
"Yeah; thanks Connie." Julie said and smiled at her new friend.  
  
"Come on shortcake, let's get you up so that we can warm up." Charlie said and pulled her up all the way.  
  
Once she was up, Julie smiled at Charlie, and they started their warm up laps. Just when they were about to take a knee so that Bombay could talk to them, Averman came skating by Julie and knocked her down with immature glee. Charlie who had been skating behind her had to swerve to the right to avoid falling over her. He stopped as soon as he was around her and went and helped her up.  
  
"You okay, Julie?" He asked her.  
  
"Yes." She said frustrated.  
  
"Haha! Charlie has a crush on the klutzy new girl." Averman laughed, and he skated back towards them.  
  
Julie, who had had enough of him before he said that, dropped her stick and helmet and went after him. Charlie tried to catch her but she was too fast, so he watched as she caught up with him and checked him into the boards . "I'm sick of you teasing me. You don't know me so what right do you have to tease me and pick on me?" She yelled at him  
  
"Ohh, I'm scared." Averman said with a goofy grin on his face.  
  
Bombay and Charlie were standing close by on they ice, watching this in amusement. However, the amusement quickly faded to worry and anger when Julie went to check Averman again, and Averman sidestepped; she slammed in to the boards, hitting her head hard and falling to the ice. Bombay and Charlie quickly skated over to her and Averman who was laughing, not fully understanding the magnitude of his actions.  
  
"Averman, I have had just about enough of you knocking Julie down. You have been pestering her too much. And know it looks like she is going to have to miss tonight's game. I hope you are happy." Bombay said.  
  
Julie got up slowly and snarled at Averman. Charlie saw this and quickly pulled her closer to him. Averman saw how mad she was and coughed, hiding a childish grin behind his hand, which earned him a fierce glare from his coach and captain.  
  
"Yeah, I think I am." Averman said jokingly, none it making a connection in his brain. "Besides, I don't pester people; I just tease them."  
  
"Averman, you've been bothering her. She is obviously, and rightly so, very ticked off at you. Charlie told me a few minutes ago that she doesn't get this way unless someone or something was really bothering her. Now I want you to apologize to Julie and go change; if she isn't going to play tonight, neither are you because you're the reason she is hurt." Bombay told him.  
  
"How would Charlie know?" Averman asked, with wide blinking eyes, "And why aren't you punishing her?" he added with a pout.  
  
"Well, Charlie would know because he has grown up with her. The reason she isn't one of the original Ducks is her family moved to Maine five years ago. But her and Charlie have kept close contact with each other. As for punishing her, no; I'm not because there is no reason. You are the one that started it, and don't bother arguing with me because I saw it all with my own eyes. So I suggest you go and apologize to her right now." Bombay told him.  
  
Averman looked over at Charlie, who was looking at the cut on Julie's head. "You know her?" Averman asked him.  
  
"Yep, just like Coach said." Charlie snapped back, mad that he had knocked her out of the first game by teasing her.  
  
"Oh, okay." Averman said and skated over to Julie. He looked at her for a minute, "I'm sorry Julie." He said not really meaning it, and skated off.  
  
Bombay, Charlie, and Julie all watched him go knowing that he hadn't really meant it, but not caring at the moment. Bombay turned to Julie and winced when he say the cut on her forehead.  
  
"Come on, Julie; let's get you to the locker room and cleaned up." He said softly to her so as not to scare her anymore that she already seemed to be.  
  
"Okay." She said, "I'm sorry Coach."  
  
"It's okay, Julie. I'm not mad at you; you didn't do anything wrong. You were just defending yourself. He is the one I'm am upset with." He told her and smiled at her.  
  
She smiled in relief, happy to know she wasn't in trouble. When they got to the bench, Charlie helped her in, and then looked at Bombay for instructions.  
  
"Why don't you finish up with practice, Charlie. Then you can see her after." Bombay told him.  
  
"Okay, Coach." He said, and then winked at Julie.  
  
She tried to grin, but was having problems because her head was starting to hurt real bad.  
  
"You two are really close, aren't you?" Bombay asked her.  
  
"Yeah, we are. He has always been there for me; even when we were apart." Julie said, "And I really missed him."  
  
"Yeah, he really missed you too; he would always come to practice telling us about your last phone call. I'm really happy to finally get to meet you." Bombay told her.  
  
"I'm glad to meet you too; Charlie always talked to me about you." She said and winced as he finished cleaning her cut. "And not always in a nice way, at first." she added with a grin, trying to ignore the slight pain.  
  
"Is that so?" Bombay asked with a humored grin.  
  
She smiled, wincing slightly. "Yeah. But once you transformed from 'evil lawyer-dude who's real mean' to 'wonderful, spectacular coach who should marry my mom so she won't marry evil Scott,' then he only had pleasant things to say." she said with a wide grin.  
  
Gordon let out a chuckle, remembering how his relationship with his players had changed over the years.  
  
After a few minutes, Gordon had finished his first aide job.  
  
"Okay, well you're done." He said, "You're not going to feel like finishing practice, are you?"  
  
"No." She said. "Can I tomorrow, though?"  
  
"Probably depends on how you are doing." He told her and she nodded, "All right then, do you think you can get to the locker room okay?" He asked.  
  
"Yes." She said.  
  
"Okay, I need to stay out here and make sure no more fights break out." He told her, smiling. She giggled and headed to the locker room to change.  
  
Meanwhile, with Charlie and the other Ducks...  
  
"Hey Charlie, is she the one you would always talk about talking on the phone with?" Jesse asked, and the others listened.  
  
"That would be her." Charlie said.  
  
"She's cute." Fulton said and the other guys nodded.  
  
"Yeah, she is, isn't she?" Charlie said. "Hey, hands off Fulton." He said, a hint of protectiveness hinting through his voice.  
  
"Why? Is she your girl?" Fulton asked, which caused Connie to choke on the water she had just gotten a drink of.  
  
"No, she is just real shy and quiet. I don't want her to get hurt." Charlie said quickly.  
  
"UH-HUH." The rest of the team said and skated off. Charlie rolled his eyes and followed them.  
  
However, his eyes did trail to where the locker room would be if he could have seen it.  
  
He didn't like Julie...He just...couldn't...  
  
Ok that is it for now, I hope you enjoyed it Chelsea and I had a lot of fun writing it. Please review and tell us what you think. Talk to you soon. 


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